Tue, February 10, 2026
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
PRB 4138 & Zoom
Radio Detection of Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos in Evolving Polar Ice
Ultra-high-energy neutrinos (UHENs) may reveal the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays and provide a unique window into physics beyond the Standard Model. With an event rate on the order of one interaction per cubic kilometre per century, their detection requires the instrumentation of volumes far larger than those accessible to current-generation optical Cherenkov-based neutrino observatories.
Several current and proposed experiments therefore aim to monitor the polar ice sheets for radio signatures of UHEN interactions, either through radio Cherenkov emission from particle cascades in the deep ice or via radar reflections from the ionization trails left in their wake. These signals often propagate through the upper 100–200 m of compacting snow, known as firn, whose density and refractive index increase with depth and evolve over time due to accumulation, temperature variability, and episodic melt events.
In this seminar, I present a study of the time-dependent evolution of the firn layer and its impact on radio signal propagation. Incorporating the evolving density into radio propagation simulations, we quantify how this evolution modulates signal spectra, amplitudes, travel times, and propagation paths. In the absence of an up-to-date ice model, these effects introduce an irreducible systematic uncertainty in neutrino energy and direction reconstruction. Given the ongoing warming of the polar regions, understanding and mitigating these effects is a crucial consideration for radio- and radar-based UHEN detectors
For Zoom information, please contact the seminar coordinators.